Method of making axle housings



Jan; 30, 1934. E. RIEMENSCHNEIDER 3 METHOD OF MAKING AXLE 'HOUSINGS Filed Dec. 31, 1930 Patented Jan. 30, 1934 Y UNITED srA 1,945,078 METHOD or MAKING AXLE HOUSINGS Ernest Riemenschneider, Cleveland, Ohio, as-

signor to The Midland Steel Products Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 31, 1930 Serial No. 505,876

10 Claims. (Cl. 29-1531) This invention relates to a welded axle housing and the methodof making the same, and is in the nature of an improvement of the methods described in my copending applications Serial Nos. 481,177, filed Sept. 11, 1930, and 486,971, filed Oct. 7, 1930.

In my copending applications above described the present methods of forming axle housings which are in general use are described and some of the disadvantages and practices .of these methods are set forth. The method herein disclosed of making axle housings and the housing formed by the practice thereof has several advantages over the prior methods and articles.

This method makes possible the manufacture of axle housings of uniform high quality and at the same time effects a considerable saving in cost.

Another advantage of my method is that it eliminates all waste of stock and greatly reduces the amount of labor required. Furthermore, it

' may be practiced efiectively with standard mill equipment and dies, all of which may be put to numerous other uses.

Another object of my invention is that the various steps of my method. are comparatively simple and easy to apply, so thatexpert and .-highly skilled labor is not necessary, and the p'ractice of the method is very adaptable to production in large quantities.

Another decided advantage of the present invention is that in an axle housing formed thereby the material is distributed so that it is efiectively utilized without waste, the extra material for greater wall thickness being provided where required without an excess of material in other portions. For example, the housing may be made by applying my method to a tube of constant wall thickness and yet the'wall thickness of the enlarged central or gear. portion of the 7 housing will meet. all requirements and the numerals, like numerals being used to designate the same parts in the various views.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is an elevation of an end of a length oi. tubing 'which forms the blank from which the so housing may be made.

Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate the next successive steps in the formation of the gear portion.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of a length of tubing,

comprising a blank for the practice of a slightly 05 modified method from that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3.

Fig. 5 illustrates the manner in which the blank of Fig. 4' is operated to form the housing.

Fig. 6 is the final step in either of the above mentioned methods showing the finished central housing portion.

Referring first to Figs. 4 and 5 a section of tubing 1 of sufiiciently large diameter to form the gear housing portion of the axle housing, as later to be described, is used as the blank stock. This section of tubing is preferably seamless tubing or tubing welded for the full depth.

A portion of the blank above described, beginning a predetermined distance from the end is reduced by swaging or otherwise to the diameter of the finished housing, as indicated at 2, leaving an enlarged end portion 3 which is to be formed into a gear housing portion. The'centralportion 3 is then slotted as indicated at 4, preferably by diametrically opposite longitudinal slots extending a greater part of the length of the enlarged portion' 3, thus bifurcating the same. The arms of the bifurcated end thus formed are then spread apart, as described in my. copending applications Ser. Nos. 481,177, filed Sept. 11, 1930 and 486,971, filed Oct. 7, 1930, and formed into the flanged portion 6 of the finished housing. A' similar halflength of housing is then secured to the ends of the portion 6 by welding together the: ends 7 of the gear housing portion of the two half lengths of housing, as described in my copending application above identified.

As illustrated, -I prefer that the gear housing portion gradually taper into the diameter 'of the 100 remainder of the housing, as'indicated at 9, as this eliminates lines of concentration of stress and facilitates forming. The portion 3 beinglarger than the remainder of the housing furnishes suificient material for the formation of the the planes indicated by the lines XX and Y-Y in Fig. 6 cannot be derived from extra length of the enlarged portion 3, but requires additional material as the circumference in the plane Y-Y and perimeter in the plane XX are consider= ably greater than the circumference of the finished tubing.

Here it should be pointed out that if a blank of sufficient wall thickness to furnish the material required along these planes were used, after reducing the diameter of the adjacent portion, as indicated at 2, to form the remainder of the housing, the wall thickness of the reduced portion would be somewhat increased. As a result the reduced diameter portion of the housing would be disproportionately thick and tend to concentrate the stresses near the gear housing portion.

Furthermore, in choosing a tube to furnish sufficient wall thickness along the planes XX and- Y-Y, the flanged portions 6 would be very thick walled, thus wasting considerable material and making the central gear portion disproportionately strong.

By my method, I contemplate effectively utilizing all of the stock which requires that the wall thicknesses at diiferent portions be such that at no part is the housing disproportionately strong. I may approximatethis construction by making the slot 4 comparatively wide or by making it wider toward the outer end of the tubing, as indicated by the dotted line 8. This method, however, is not entirelysatisfactory in many respects and I prefer however to use a tube of intermediate size, such as the tubing 10 of Fig. l.

This tubing is small in diameter and too thin walled to render available the material required along the planes indicated by the lines XX and Y--Y, but is greater in diameter than the finished housing is to be. One end of this tube is reduced as indicated at 12 to bring-it to the required diam eter for the housing, the wall thickness of the stock being slightly less than required in the finished housing so that upon thickening due to reduction of diameter it will be the required thickness. The end portion 14 is left at the original tube diameter for forming the central gear housing portion; As described, the amount of material available for the arm 6 is dependent primarily on the length of the portion 14. Consequently this portion is left sufficiently long to furnish the material for the arms 6.

It will be seen that by using this tube of intermediate size the wall thickness of the portion 12 is not disproportionately thick, nor is the wall portion 14, but on the contrary, of the required thickness to facilitate forming the end flanges and arms 6. However, enough material is not provided for the required wall thickness of the housing along the planes XX and Y--Y, where extra material is required for reasons above described. In order to furnish this additional material therefore, the intermediate portion 16 of the tube is heated and subjected to endwise pressure, which bows the walls outwardly and forms 'an annulus 1'7. The wall-thickness is reduced by increasing the diameter, but the walls may be practically the samethickness as the walls of the original tube or a predetermined desired thickness, after the formation of the annulus, due to their tendency to upset under the endwise pressure. It should be noted that the amount of upset may be controlled somewhat by the degree of heating and degree of the axial compression. From actual experience it has been found that the only agents necessary to perform the expanding and thickening operation are heat and axial pressure on the two ends of the tube, said agents being so related as to eflect the degree of enlargement and wall thickness desired. Assistance to this enlarging and thickening operation may be provided, if desired, by outward radial pressures exerted upon the inner walls of the portion to be enlarged by various means such as an expanding mandrel to assist in guiding the metal longitudinally of the enlarged portion as the tube is being axially compressed or upset to thicken the walls thereof. In this manner the extra material required along the planes XX and. Y-Y is provided.

The end of the stock, thus prepared, is slotted longitudinally with diametrically opposite slots indicated at 18' and the bifurcated ends spread apart to form the flanged arms 6. These arms are brought to final shape as described in my above identified copending application.

For the purpose of illustration I have shown the ends of the slot extending substantially to the center of the annulus 17. This is satisfactory in case the central housing portion is to be substantially circular. elliptical shaped housing is required, the slot may extend further into the annulus 1'7 or terminate more to the right of the center thereof, depending upon the amount of material or length required for the particular shape of arms 6. In other words the exact length of the slot is varied to meet the varying conditions in the requirements of the particular axle housing.

In some cases, especially in the method illus-' trated in Figs. 1 to 3, a better distribution of metal is obtained by punching a hole at the end of each of the slots 18, as illustrated by the dotted line 20. As a result of punching the hole 20 the edges of the slots are brought more nearly parallel to the ,outline'of the annulus at these points so that the bifurcated ends are about the outline of the same width throughout their entire lengths. A further refinement includes punching a'hole such as illustrated by the dotted line 19, the edges more gradually tapering intothe slots 18. The walls of l the combined holes and slots are then substantially parallel to the outline of the annulus as illustrated in If a more elongated or Fig. 3. Such holes also eliminate the tendency 12E of the tube to split at the end of the slot when the bifurcated portions are-spread and produce an even gradual bend.

It is obvious therefore that by this method a half length of axle housing may be formed having substantially the correct wall thicknessesat the different portions'and the arms 6, forming the gear housing portion, as well as thebrake apron flange and integral bearing ring retainer may be of the correct wall thickness to facilitate forming and to eliminate concentration of the stresses which occur along the lines of intersection of the heavy walled and thin walled portions of a member. I

In the manners described, I may form a half length of axle housing from which a housing of comparatively constant strength throughout its full length may be formed.

I claim:

1. A method of forming axlehousings which 1% annulus and adjacent end with longitudinal slots extending to the free end of the tubing, spreading the bifurcated portions apart and forming them into outwardly extending arcuate forks and welding the ends of said forks to the ends of the forks of another similar member held in axial align- .ment therewith.

2. A method of forming an axle housing, which comprises relatively reducing the diameter of a part of a length of tubing to form an end of larger diameter than the reduced portion of the tubing forming a portion of the tubing intermediate the larger diameter end and the small diameter portion into an outwardly bowed annulus having walls of substantially the same thickness as the tubing, bifurcating the enlarged end and part of the annulus with diametrically opposite slots, forming the bifurcated: portions of the tubing into outwardly extending arms, and securing the member thus formed to a similar member by welding the ends of the arms of the members together while holding the members in axial alignment.

3. A method of forming axle housings which includes changing the relative diameters of an end portion and an adjacent portion of a length of tubing to form, an end of greater diameter, subjecting the tubing to axial pressure to form a portion of the walls intermediate the enlarged end portion and the remainder of the tubing into an outwardly bowed annulus having walls of substantially the same thickness as the original stock, bifurcating the enlarged end and annulus by diametrically opposite longitudinal slots extending through the enlarged end and part of the annulus, spreading apart the bifurcated portions and forming the same into channel shaped outwardly extending arms to form thecentral gear housing portion of the axle housing, and completing the housing by welding the ends of said arms to the ends of the arms of a similar member.

4. The method of forming axle housings which includes providing tube stock with an enlarged end and bifurcating the enlarged end by diametrically opposite longitudinal slots, the walls defining each of said slots being spaced apart and diverging from the enlarged outer end of the tube inwardly, spreading apart the bifurcated portions and forming the same 'into outwardly extending arcuate arms, and securing the member to a similar member in axial alignment therewith by securing together the end portions of the arms of one of said members to similar portions of the other.

5. A method of forming axle housings which includes reducing the diameter of a portion of a length of tubing spaced-from the end whereby an end of larger diameter than the remainder of the tubing is formed, subjecting the tubing to axial pressure to form a portion intermediate the large end and the remainder of the tubing into an outwardly bowed annulus, whereby the thickness of the annulus walls are decreased due to increased diameter and concurrently increased in thickness, due to the upsetting by axial pressure, bifurcating the end portion and annulus by longitudinal slots extending from the outer end through the enlarged end and partially through the annulus, spreading apart the bifurcated portions and forming. the same into outwardly extending flanged arms and securing the member thus formed to a similar member by securing together the end portions of the outwardly extending arms of said members.

6. A method of forming axle housings from tubular stock which includes the steps of forming a portion of the tube adjacent one end into an outwardly bowed annulus having a wall thickness substantially equal to that of the original stock, slotting the annulus with diametrically opposite longitudinal slots extending from said endof the tube into said annulus and spreading apart the bifurcated portions and forming such portions into channel-shaped cross section.

7. A method of forming axle housings from tubing, which includes the steps of subjecting a length of the tubing to axial inwardly directed pressure to bow outwardly a portion of the tube adjacent one end to form an annular portion hav ing wall thickness substantially equal to that ofthe original tubing, and bifurcating the annular portion and adjacent end with longitudinal slots extending to the free end of said tube, and spreading the longitudinal portions apart and forming them into U-shaped cross section.

8. A method of forming an axle housing which comprises relatively changing the diameter of a length of tubing to provide an enlarged end and a smaller end with an intermediate tapered portion of substantial length, bowing outwardly a portion of the enlarged end adjacent said tapered portion whereby its wall thickness is substantially equal to that of the original'tubing, bifurcating the enlarged end of the tubing, spreading apart the bifurcated portions and forming such portions into outwardly extending arcuate arms, and connecting said arms to corresponding arms of another similar member held in axial alignment therewith. Y Y

9. A method of forming an axle housing which comprises-relatively changing the diameter of a length of tubing to provide an enlarged end and a smaller end with an intermediate tapered portion of substantial length and of wall thickness 20 substantially equal to that of the original tubing, bifurcating the enlarged end of the tubing, spreading apart the bifurcated portions and forming such portions into outwardly extending arcuate arms, and connecting said arms to corresponding arms of a similar member held in axial alignment therewith. I

10. A method of forming axle housings which comprises relatively changing the diameter of a' length of tubing to provide an enlarged end and 130 a smaller end with an intermediate tapered portion of substantial length and wall thickness slightly greater than that of the original tubing, bowing outwardly a portion of the enlarged end adjacent said tapered portion while upsetting the 135 same whereby its wall thickness is substantially equal to that of the original tubing, bifurcating the enlarged end of the tubing, spreading apart the bifurcated portions and forming such portions into outwardly extending arcuate arms, and 140 connecting said arms to corresponding arms 0! a similar member held in axial alignment therewith.

ERNEST RIEM'ENSCHNEIDER. 

